Clarification: The story has been updated to clarify that U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn voted for $600 million dedicated to broadband grants and loans in rural areas nationally on the House floor but against it when the money became part of an omnibus bill.

For Tennessee residents living in Hamilton County, home to Chattanooga's municipally provided internet, 1 percent of residents lack access to basic internet speeds.

But in Hickman County, 35 percent lack access to basic internet, or speeds of 25 megabits per second. In Wayne, Perry and Hancock counties, each classified by the state as economically distressed or at-risk, about 20 percent to 30 percent lack access, according a 2016 report from the Tennessee Economic and Community Development office.

"A lot of people don’t have it at home," said Hickman County Library Director David Dansby. "If you can get it at home, it's dial-up and hard to connect."

Hickman residents depend on the library's internet to fill out unemployment claims, look for jobs, complete homework and conduct basic tasks, he said. While some live just a few minutes away, others will drive a half hour to use the library's internet.

The effect of limited broadband access plays out in transmitting health care data, telemedicine, basic business operations, public safety, property values and education at all levels, prompting both Tennessee candidates for U.S. Senate — Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen — to emphasize the critical need for greater connection in rural areas of Tennessee.

But the two candidates are taking different approaches to how they would work to boost broadband access in rural areas and what role the federal government should play.

Blackburn and Bredesen are vying to succeed the retiring U.S. Sen. Bob Corker in the Nov. 6 general election. Early voting begins Wednesday.

CLOSE

The U.S. Senate debate between Marsha Blackburn and Phil Bredesen in 3 minutes
Nashville Tennessean

Overcoming low-density, high costs

The hurdle to broadband expansion in rural areas is a lack of density. The cost of installation is close to the same in suburban areas, but the number of households to cover that cost per mile is much smaller, making expansion financially difficult for providers.

"The number of households simply aren’t there and the infrastructure is costly to put in," said Eric Frederick, vice president of community affairs for Kentucky-based nonprofit Connected Nation.

Connecting each home in Tennessee to basic speeds would cost between $360 million to $1.7 billion, according to the state.

Last year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation pushed by Gov. Bill Haslam allowing electric cooperatives to offer broadband service and approved $45 million in grants and tax credits for broadband expansion over a three-year period. In January, Haslam announced $10 million would be distributed, connecting 5,000 households, or close to 1 percent of the 366,000 households in Tennessee lacking access as of 2016.

For example, the law spurred companies like United Communications in Chapel Hill, Tenn., to work with electric cooperative Middle Tennessee Electric to expand broadband. The two groups announced their partnership in August.

Separately, the federal Connect America initiative has allocated $8.5 million to five Tennessee carriers this year to expand rural internet over the next 10 years to about 3,300 homes. In 2015, Tennessee carriers were awarded $179 million to connect 93,000 homes over a seven year period.

But Bredesen says grants are not enough to bring about the necessary fixes to broadband access.

“I want our country to get back to the days when it did bold projects and not just fool around the edges with grants, tax credits and demonstration projects,” Bredesen said in prepared remarks in June.

Bredesen turns to Tennessee Valley Authority

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Phil Bredesen joined with other top-tier gubernatorial and Senate candidates at the West Tennessee Strawberry Festival parade.
This is just a taste of what the campaign season will be like this summer leading up to the Aug. 2 primary.
Friday May 11, 2018, in Humboldt , Tenn. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

Gubernatorial candidates Phil Bredesen, left, and Randy Nichols, right, laugh at fellow candidate John Jay Hooker, center, who, when asked what he would do if he wakes up in November and finds himself Governor, responded "Die." Ten of the eleven registered candidates for Governor participated in a debate held at the downtown Sheraton. 2/7/2002 Bill Steber/The Tennessean

With his wife Andrea Conte, center, and supporters cheering him on, gubernatorial candidate Phil Bredesen, right, pauses on his way to file a qualifying petition at the Division of Elections in downtown Nashville. 4/3/2002 P. Casey Daley / The Tennessean

Phil Bredesen acknowledges the cheers and applause of his supporters as he walks out onto the stage to accept victory for the Democratic ticket in the gubernatorial primary election night at Hilton Suites downtown. 8/1/2002 Bill Steber / The Tennessean

Phil Bredesen is happy as he watches the early returns with his wife Andrea Conte, son Ben, and Ben's girlfriend Dru Potash at his headquarters at the Hilton in downtown Nashville. 11/5/2002 Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

Surrounded by supporters and family, Phil Bredesen, right, waves to the crowd after defeating Van Hillary in a hard fought battle to become the Governor of Tennessee. 11/5/2002 Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen hangs a portrait of Frederick Douglass, a personal hero of his, in his capital office. The same print hung in his office while he was mayor of Nashville. 1/20/2003 Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen sits in the cockpit of a C-130 cargo plane at the Tennessee National Guard in Nashville. Bredesen spoke to members of the 118th Airlift Wing unit. 3/3/2003 Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen, center, is applauded after signing into law the new lottery legislation in front of supports, lawmakers and students in a ceremony at the Capitol. 6/11/2003 Larry Mccomack / The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen, right, is presented with gifts as he meets with a 4-H Exchange Club including three members from his hometown high school, Red Jacket High School in Shortsville, N.Y., at the Executive Residence. 7/10/2003 George Walker / The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen greets legislators as he enters the State Representatives Chambers before delivering the State of the State address to the joint legislature at the State Capitol. 2/2/2004 George Walker/ The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen listens carefully to a question from a member of the media during a press conference announcing that he will give a major TennCare speech next week. 2/11/2004 Bill Steber / The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen, center, enjoys a lighter moment with Sen. Thelma Harper, left, and Rep. Janis Sontany, right, before signing the bill into law requiring nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the state to disclose whether they have sprinklers. Sen. Harper and Rep. Sontany were the bill's main legislative sponsors. 3/18/2004 Ricky Rogers / The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen, center, walks down the long hallway at the Capitol on his way to a press conference with Kenneth Robinson, left, Department of Health Commissioner, and Trooper Brett Bumpus, right, to announce TennCare could be gone in a week. 11/10/2004 John Partipilo / The Tennessean

A sign in protest of Gov. Phil Bredesen's cuts to TennCare hangs over his head as he addresses the joint legislature for his State of the State address in the Tennessee State House of Representatives' Chamber on Capitol Hill. 1/31/2005 George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Surprise guest Dolly Parton, left, showed up with Gov. Phil Bredesen, second from left, and Mayor Purcell to kick off the Imagination library by reading stories to children at the Downtown Library. 3/15/2005 John Partipilo / The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen thanks the crowd gathered at the Renaissance Hotel for their efforts to control the meth problem in Tennessee as he made the announcement that the new meth bill had become law. 3/30/2005 Larry Mccormack / The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen spoke on the issue following an announcement that Nissan will begin building a hybrid version of the Altima passenger car right here in Middle Tennessee. 6/17/2005 Eric Parsons / The Tennessean

Gov. Phil Bredesen, second from right, smiles with enrollee attorney George Barrett, left, after he announced that the state is moving forward in preserving coverage for 97,000 of the neediest TennCare enrollees during a press conference at the Meharry Medical College in Nashville. 8/9/2005 Sanford Myers / The Tennessean

Tennessee Speaker of the House Jimmy Naifeh, left, and Gov. Phil Bredesen greet each other at the 61st Naifeh Coon Supper at the Covington Country Club in Covington, Tenn. 4/27/2006 George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen holds up a newspaper clipping as Stephanie Burns, president of Dow Corning and Rick Doornbos, president of Hemlock Semiconductor look on after a news conference in Clarksville at Austin Peay State University. Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC) LLC is coming to Clarksville with its more than $1 billion investment, and at least 500 high-paying jobs. 12/15/2008 Greg Williamson / The Leaf-Chronicle

Gov. Phil Bredesen makes a statement after holding an impromptu meeting with about a half dozen college students in his office. Students from several Tennessee Board of Regents schools across the state converged on Gov. Bredesen's office in the state Capitol to express their concerns about higher education cuts. 1/13/2009 Billy Kingsley / The Tennessean

Former Gov. Phil Bredesen speaks at a ceremony in Chattanooga on Oct. 29, 2015, to name an interstate exchange near the Volkswagen plant after himself and former Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, right. The German automaker earlier in the day reaffirmed its commitment to build a new SUV at its Chattanooga plant in 2016 despite the fallout from a diesel emissions cheating scandal. Erik Schelzig / AP

Gov. Phil Bredesen sits in the driver's seat of a new Volkswagen Passat at the 2011 North American International Auto Show on Jan. 10, 2011 in Detroit. Volkswagen will build the new Passat at its new factory in Chattanooga. Tony Ding, Tony Ding / AP

Volkswagen AG Chairman Martin Winterkorn, right, shows a 2011 Jetta to Gov. Phil Bredesen during a visit July 21, 2010, to the German automaker's unfinished Chattanooga plant, which is intended for larger vehicles. The Jetta is Volkswagen AG’s biggest seller in the U.S., and the company has been making the Jetta in Puebla, Mexico, since 1993. Bill Poovey / AP

Stefan Jacoby, left, and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen sit in a Volkswagen SUV on July 15, 2008, after the announcement that Volkswagen will build a vehicle assembly plant in Chattanooga. Bredesen says last-minute efforts by the state kept the plant from going elsewhere. G. Chambers Williams III / The Tennessean

Former mayors Phil Bredesen and Bill Purcell chat with Nashville Mayor Megan Barry at the release of her new transit plan at Music City Center Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Former Governor of Tennessee Phil Bredesen shows off a card with his signature he leaves on the podium for U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., as he speaks to the Tennessee Democratic Party Three Star Dinner at the Wilson County Expo Center in Lebanon on June 16, 2018. Price Chambers / For The Tennessean

Former Governor of Tennessee Phil Bredesen shows off a card with his signature he leaves on the podium for Sen. Doug Jones [D-Ala.] as he speaks to the Tennessee Democratic Party Three Star Dinner at the Wilson County Expo Center in Lebanon on June 16, 2018. Price Chambers / For The Tennessean

Former Governor of Tennessee Phil Bredesen and former First Lady of Tennessee Andrea Conte share a laugh during the Tennessee Democratic Party Three Star Dinner at the Wilson County Expo Center in Lebanon on June 16, 2018. Price Chambers / For The Tennessean

Former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and former First Lady of Tennessee Andrea Conte talk with Karl Dean and others at the Tennessee Democratic Party Three Star Dinner at the Wilson County Expo Center in Lebanon on June 16, 2018. Price Chambers / For The Tennessean

Phil Bredesen joined with other top-tier gubernatorial and Senate candidates at the West Tennessee Strawberry Festival parade.
This is just a taste of what the campaign season will be like this summer leading up to the Aug. 2 primary.
Friday May 11, 2018, in Humboldt , Tenn. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

For Bredesen, the solution could be the Tennessee Valley Authority. The power provider, a federal agency, brings electricity to 9 million residents in seven states and nearly 3 million households throughout Tennessee through local power companies.

"I think TVA is a good vehicle to do this type of development because it's in its DNA. It's got the structure, the systems and the management expertise to pull off something as big as this," Bredesen told the Kiwanis Club in Clarksville in June.

"They've got 7,000 employees in the state of Tennessee alone and that's what it's going to take – a sophisticated approach from people who know what they're doing."

TVA is self-funded through electricity sales and is not funded through taxes. If more money were needed to support this expansion of the TVA's role, Bredesen said government funding could be provided. He pointed to the nation's investment in the postal service, which ensures that residents can send and receive mail in both rural and urban areas.

"We would have been a very different nation if you had to live within 50 miles of a city to get a letter," Bredesen said in an emailed statement. "If there's some kind of subsidy, I don't mind that."

Bredesen, Tennessee governor from 2003 to 2011, said a TVA broadband model would not limit existing providers' business. As it does with electrical service, it would serve as a backbone of the system and partner with smaller power companies and cooperatives. It could also work with major commercial providers, and those entities could also play a role in the investment.

"Let’s figure out what it actually takes and how we can put that kind of money together though private investment," Bredesen said. "There’s opportunities for public private partnerships in this kind of a thing. Let’s figure out a way to do (it) and just get it done."

The TVA is undergoing a $300 million fiber initiative meant to expand fiber capacity and improve its transmission system. TVA officials said its fiber network will improve connections between operations and will include 3,500 miles of fiber in the next 10 years.

When the TVA announced its fiber investment in May 2017, CEO Bill Johnson said there was potential to make some of the fiber network available to rural communities to support economic development.

TVA spokesman Scott Brooks emphasized that TVA is not getting into the broadband business for consumers, but that its fiber could be an option for local power companies.

"Our fiber network is in place to support power system needs, and our focus remains on our own operations," Brooks said in an emailed statement. "Should there be temporary surplus 'dark' fibers available on the network, they could provide opportunities for our local power companies or other companies to create or expand their fiber related services in the Valley and reach many of the region’s underserved and unserved communities."

As it stands, the TVA lacks the authority to provide internet, and the TVA Act would need to be amended by Congress to allow the agency to provide broadband access, a move that Bredesen is advocating for.

Former Gov. Phil Bredesen talks with attendees for an event hosted by the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 10, 2018.(Photo: Joel Ebert)

Blackburn emphasizes role of grants

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

U.S. Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn sings the national anthem at the Williamson County Republican Party annual Reagan Day Dinner Friday, Feb. 23, 2018 in Franklin, Tenn. George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Marilee Martin, left, and Marsha Blackburn, chairs of the Lung Association Christmas Jubilee, show off the Cadillac, fur coat and T.G. Sheppard's hat Nov. 8, 1983, some of the silent auction item up for bid Dec. 1 at the Marriott Hotel. The Cadillac sedan Deville from Andrew Cadillac is valued at $18,125 and the fur coat from Cain-Sloan is valued at $3,000. Ricky Rogers / The Tennessean

Marsha Blackburn signs her book, "Life Equity," described on a website for her book as "a step-by-step plan for using the powerful and valuable skills (women) already have to change their own lives and enrich the world." Courtesy of Suzanne Elmer

U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn holds a town hall meeting on health care for 7th District constituents at the Embassy Suites Hotel in the Cool Springs area of Franklin on Friday, August 14, 2009. The Tennessean

David Dell' Aquila chats with U.S. Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn at the Williamson County Republican Party annual Reagan Day Dinner Friday, Feb. 23, 2018 in Franklin, Tenn. George Walker IV / The Tennessean

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn will run for the U.S. Senate. The Brentwood Republican's announcement comes days after U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he will not seek a third term. George Walker IV / File / Tennessean.com

Blackburn, a Brentwood Republican who is chair of the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, said turning to the TVA to help implement broadband in rural areas would raise taxes, discourage existing providers from serving those areas and hurt competition.

"It’s a big government overreaching approach," Blackburn said. "This is something that would put the federal government or government entity in charge of your internet. That is not something that anybody wants."

Instead, the focus should be on eliminating rules and regulations impeding expansion and on providing funding through grants to help private companies expand, she said. She would also like to see a greater emphasis on boosting adoption rates once residents gain access.

While grants also are funded by taxpayers, they target areas most in need and encourage private investment, she said. She estimated a TVA role would cost taxpayers $1 billion, but did not elaborate on how she determined that sum.

Blackburn commended the new Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act under Haslam, as well as the investments that private companies have made in recent years.

"We have made tremendous progress in expanding access, and we are so pleased that so many communities are seeing the benefits," Blackburn said. "Those out there in the community, these companies providing this service, they are expanding their footprint every single day."

Blackburn said progress is being made.

In 2016, the Federal Communications Commission reported 34 percent of households in rural Tennessee lacked access, compared to 23 percent in the 2018.

While the FCC data shows improvement, the way it is collected overstates connection, Frederick said. If any home in a census block has access, the census block is classified as having access, reducing the reports' overall accuracy. Meanwhile, greater speeds and bandwidth will be needed as more tasks are completed online.

Michael Anastasi, vice president of news for the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee, steps up to the podium to deliver opening remarks at the 2018 Tennessee U.S. Senate Debate at Cumberland University Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Lebanon, Tenn. Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean

Moderators David Plazas, left, of The Tennessean, and Rhori Johnson, of NewsChannel 5, speak to the audience at the 2018 Tennessee U.S. Senate Debate at Cumberland University Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Lebanon, Tenn. Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean

Marsha Blackburn supporters move into position in anticipation of her arrival for the 2018 Tennessee U.S. Senate Debate at Cumberland University Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Lebanon, Tenn. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen and his wife Andrea Conte walk through a crowd of supporters before the 2018 Tennessee U.S. Senate Debate at Cumberland University Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Lebanon, Tenn. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

The Lebanon High School band arrives to play for Phil Bredesen supporters outside the 2018 Tennessee U.S. Senate Debate at Cumberland University Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Lebanon, Tenn. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

Phil Bredesen supporters listen to the Lebanon High School band before the start of the 2018 Tennessee U.S. Senate Debate at Cumberland University Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Lebanon, Tenn. Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

When asked about the more significant rules and regulations she has targeted in the last 18 months, she pointed to 2018 legislation passed by Congress that dedicates $600 million to broadband grants and loans in rural areas nationally under a pilot program. Blackburn said she sponsored it, led negotiations on the bill and voted for it on the House floor, but voted against it when it became part of an omnibus bill because of concerns about national debt.

The same law requires the FCC to identify spectrum that can be dedicated to mobile and fixed broadband use and to streamline rights-of-way easements for providers. It also orders a study evaluating broadband availability through unlicensed spectrum and wireless networks in low-income neighborhoods.

David Dell' Aquila chats with U.S. Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn at the Williamson County Republican Party annual Reagan Day Dinner Friday, Feb. 23, 2018 in Franklin, Tenn.(Photo: George Walker IV / The Tennessean)

Blackburn said she supports introduced legislation that creates a task force for studying broadband needs in the agricultural sector, as well as a separate act that holds workshops with communities needing access. Moving forward, Blackburn said she would like to focus on freeing up more spectrum to increase satellite and wireless options.

When Chattanooga's Electric Power Board, which has offered gigabit speed internet to Hamilton County residents since 2010, sought to expand beyond its electric footprint, the FCC granted its request in 2015. Blackburn responded with legislation to fight the FCC's approval. The state appealed the FCC's decision and won, blocking Chattanooga's expansion.

"The private sector is working to close this digital divide every single day," Blackburn said. "They are going to be able to close that divide much more quickly than a governmental entity."